The Child of Evil
by Lilyfish
Summary: Bellatrix and Voldemort had a child before his downfall. What will his reaction be when Bellatrix returns from Azkaban with their daughter?
1. No Mercy

_A/N: It is essential that you understand the background of this story- Bellatrix & Voldemort had a sort of 'one night fling' before his downfall, because she slipped him a love potion. Lyra was born in Azkaban, and has grown up there. She has inherited her father's magical ability. Voldemort has no more affection for Bellatrix, and did not know he had a daughter before Bellatrix got out of Azkaban. Hope you enjoy!_

Bella's eyes darted nervously from side to side, before finally resting on the man who stood before her, his height intimidating all those around him but her. Slowly, Bella walked

up to him, her head bent down in respect. "My Lord, you have returned to us!" she whispered exultantly. Without hesitation, she ushered the young girl behind her forward. "_Our _

daughter" she said proudly, looking into his scarlet eyes for a trace of gratitude. She found none. His eyes scanned the girl up and down, taking in her bony body and skelatal face

with it's sunken eyes. Twelve years in Azkaban was known to destroy a grown man, let alone a child. "She has never seen the outside world, my Lord, its all rather overwhelming

for her." Bella said apologetically, noticing his disapproval. Still he said nothing. He drew up a chair by the fire with his wand, and gestured for the girl to sit down. He waved his

long white fingers for the other Death Eaters to leave, but Bella continued to cling to the back of the armchair, where her daughter sat. He glared at her. "Let me stay, My Lord,

she needs me to stay!" Implored Bella. Voldemort sighed. "Very well Bella, but do not interrupt me while I am speaking to Lyra" he said. He turned to face Lyra, who was sitting

on the edge of her seat gazing stonily at the wall opposite. "Do you know who I am?" He asked. She raised her sunken grey-blue eyes to meet his own. He felt an eerie jolt of

recognition, as he realised they were the very same eyes he had possessed during childhood. He scanned her for any other characteristics she had inherited from him. But her thin

lips and tall pale body were her mothers through and through, save for the waterfall of scraggly blonde hair that lay tangled past her shoulders, which reminded him disturbingly of

Narcissa, Bella's sister.

"Tom Marvolo Riddle" she murmured. Her mother gasped.

"How _dare_ you speak to your father like that?" she hissed furiously. Voldemort did not feel angry though. The fact that she was deliberately provoking him was highly inosolent,

and yet, he found himself suddenly very curious. "And why do call me that?" He said softly, watching her for any sign of fear. There wasn't a trace. _How bizzare!_ He thought in

bewilderment. She tilted her head to the side and her thin lips twitched slightly.

"To see if what mother said about you was true" she replied teasingly.

"And what, may I ask, is that?"

"That you show no mercy." She said bluntly, her gaze still locked onto his, challenging him. Voldemort rose from his chair and walked lazily over to where Bella stood. Despite

the fact she was tall, he still towered over her.

"You have raised an insolent child, Bella, you should be punsihed" he said softly. Bella collapsed on her knees, trembleing violently.

"M-m-my Lord, I b-beg you-" Voldemort let out a small laugh.

"But like she said Bella, I show no mercy. _Crucio"_

As her mother's screams echoed around the chamber, Lyra made no attempt to get up and help her. She merely watched on, her features betraying her evident boredom with the

situation. Noticing this, Voldemort lifted the curse and stowed his wand back in his robes. "You do not care that I hurt your mother for your mistake?" He asked her. Lyra did

not reply, but instead pointed her wand at her mother who still lay cowering on the floor.

"Crucio" she murmured, and Bella's screaming started anew. Voldemort looked on in abseloute shock. "I couldn't care less if she were in pain" she said absently, and removed

the spell with a flick of her wand.

"You are more like me than what meets the eye" he commented truthfully. She grinned properly this time, an awful twisted leer that sent shivers of fear down his spine. She was

powerful. Too powerful.

_A/N: If I get a sufficient number of people reviewing, I will continue this story, but there is no point if no one is actually reading it- also, if you have any suggestions as to where you want the story to go (I have a rough idea though) do not hesitate to put your ideas in your reviews, thanks!_


	2. Family Reunion

It was midnight, but Lyra was still wide awake. Her mother had gone snivelling to bed about an hour ago, after her mother had given her a thorough reprimanding for her

'unacceptable behaviour'. Lyra hadn't really been listening; she'd been too busy conversing with her father's snake Nagini. Parseltongue was another gift she'd inherited from her

father, much to his pleasure. Suddenly there came a disturbance from downstairs, so Lyra crept out of her room and looked over the banister. A few more death eaters had

arrived. Two blonde men; one old and one young. The latter seemed to be sweating profusely and looked very nervous, Lyra observed.

"Come Draco, we're late enough as it is" said the older one. Lyra realised with a jolt that these must be her uncle and her cousin that her mother had told her about. She rushed

downstairs, her nightgown fluttering around her ankles.

"Hi!" she said breathlessly, looking at one to the other expectantly.

"And you are…?" said her uncle Lucius. He was observing her with a cautious eye; like her mother, Lyra's mere presence emanated a slight madness.

"You don't know who I am??" She asked incredulously, she had expected that her father would tell _everyone _about her. "How disappointing…" she said softly. She gave a

flicker of a smile to Draco, who shifted nervously on his feet.

"I'm afraid I have no time for such nonsense from a mad child, good night young lady" Lucius said, evidently feeling highly disconcerted with the odd turn of events. He grabbed

Draco's arm and steered him to the door that opened into the Dark Lord's chamber.

Lyra let out a shrill giggle and followed after them, slipping in just as the door was closing. They jumped when they saw her standing beside them, grinning crazily. A noise from

the shadows distracted them, as Lord Voldemort paced slowly forward. The tension in the room suddenly became palpable.

"Aaaahh….I see you have become acquainted with your niece, Lucius" he said softly. Lucius and Draco turned to look at Lyra.

"M-my niece?" Lucius said in confusion. The only niece he knew he had was that Tonks girl, though he hated to admit it. Voldemort nodded, and beckoned for Lyra to stand

next to him. She wandered lazily over, and whispered to Nagini, who crawled up her shoulder.

"She's a Parselmouth?" Whispered Draco in awe.

A door behind Lyra creaked open, and Bella peered round the door.

"I knew I heard people talking" she muttered, and sidled into the room. Lyra did not look up, but continued to sit at Voldemort's feet, playing with Nagini. Her mother gave an

awkward nod in acknowledgement of her nephew and brother in law. "Good journey?" She inquired grudgingly. Lucius settled down into a chair, Draco following suit.

"Well enough I suppose, though it was a job convincing Cissy we'd be alright" he said, still eyeing Lyra with a burning curiosity. Draco did the same, though less blatantly.

"I think it's high time you introduced Lyra properly, don't you Bella?" Voldemort said. Bella beamed down at her daughter, the one who had kept her going all through those

dark years in Azkaban. "Lucius, Draco, I'd like you to meet my daughter, Lyra" she said, swelling with pride. Lyra, who had been sprawled over the threadbare rug with Nagini,

sat up and tugged her nightdress round her knees. Lucius's eyes bulged. Bellatrix Lestrange had a _child??_

"I uh, didn't know you-"

"Well now you do Lucius." Voldemort cut across icily. "I expect you to treat her with exactly the same amount of respect you would treat me with…Or suffer the consequences"

Lucius nodded numbly, still boggling at the girl before him.

"Might I enquire as to who her father is?" He asked nervously.

Voldemort smiled evilly. "Me."

There was a soft _flumpf _next to Lucius. Draco had passed out.


	3. No Pain, No Gain

Lyra was to start at Hogwarts in a few weeks, and her mother was determined that she should be well ahead of her classmates. She had summoned her daughter into the

duelling chamber, but Lyra had yet to show her face. Bellatrix paced up and down the room, muttering irritably to herself.

"Stupid child, thinks she can do what she wants, I'll knock some sense into her…". Time passed, and still Lyra did not appear. Bellatrix gave a small scream of rage, and was

about to fume up the stairs to see what her daughter was up to. She was stopped by a small tap on the door, and Lyra slipped in. There was a long gash down her face, which

was oozing blood. "Father was teaching me Sectumspempra, it's nothing" she muttered, seeing her mother's look of alarm.

"Well then, I suppose we had better get down to things, then…" Bella said, all her anger had been dispersed at the sight of the wound. But Lyra shook her head and slid down

the wall, wincing in pain. The blood was coming faster now, dripping down her chin and into her lap. Her mother knelt down beside her and dabbed at the wound with a

handerkerchief. Lyra cried out in pain, and pushed the hand away. "You have to use dittany, the potion" Lyra said, grimacing. Bellatrix nodded, and hurried out of the room.

Lyra raised her trembling hand to the side of her face; it was thick with blood. What if she bled to death?? A fine way to go that would be, and before she had even got to

Hogwarts!! She sunk deeper into her self-damning thoughts, her mother returning a minute later. Lyra was pale from loss of blood at this point, though it was hard to tell as her

face was now a shining scarlet. Bella poured the contents of the potion over the wound, which stopped bleeding almost immediately. Lyra stood up shakily, and rubbed the

blood off her face. He mother gasped, as there was now a long deep scar running the entire length of Lyra's cheek, making her look more menacing than ever. "Stop staring at

me" Lyra said irritably, and stormed out of the room. She ran into her father's chamber. "LOOK AT ME! LOOK WHAT YOU'VE DONE TO MY FACE!!" she screamed

at him, her eyes alight and deranged. Voldemort eyed the scar in mild interest, and ran his long white finger down it. Lyra winced.

"And what will you tell the people who ask questions?" he murmured. Lyra's features took on a hardened, cruel look.

"Nothing. They will be dead before they hit the ground" she said, running her fingers along the shaft of her wand absently. Her father looked down at it.

"You have yet to use the killing curse, hmm?" he said. "Perhaps it is time you learnt."

Lyra pointed her wand to a shadowy corner. A small whimper told her Wormtail stood there.

"_Avada Kedavra". _Wormtail dropped like a stone. "I don't need to learn." She said shortly, casting a look of warning to her father. A look as if to say _you're next._

She swept from the room, the powerful feeling from her first kill still running high in her veins…

_A/N: Hope you like it so far, I've bee having a bit of writers block; hence the shortness ;) I will be going on holiday on the 24th August...so expect delays..._


	4. A Mother's love

It was the night before Lyra was to go to Hogwarts. A sombre air hung in the dining chamber, as the impending departure of Lyra (and Draco, for that matter) loomed.

"You'll be fine, of course, my darling" Bella said to her daughter. She had a hollow feeling in the pit of her stomach; she had never been separated from her daughter before, and

the child knew so little of the outside world

"Stop worrying mother" snapped Lyra irritably, desperate to prove to people, especially to her father, that she was more than capable of fending for herself. Bella gulped back a

sob of despair. She loved her daughter more than the Dark Lord himself, and to lose her like this…she couldn't bare it.

"Might I be excused, My Lord?" she said, her voice breaking as she spoke. The dark lord inclined his head slightly, taking little notice of her. Bella departed from the room, her

raised arm barely covering her already tear streaked face.

She blundered up to her bedroom, her eyes blurred with tears. She collapsed on the window seat, the open window bathing her in a pool of pearly moonlight. She glanced

tearfully over to a photo of her and her daughter. It was a recent one, taken about five months earlier, the same day they had escaped Azkaban. They were sitting under a tree;

Bella had her arms around Lyra, whose face was lit up with a joy that Bella had seen in her once before. The joy of freedom.

"Why?" she whispered. "Why did you have to take her from me?" no sooner had she said it, she gasped. How could she have spoken about her beloved master in such a way?

She picked the photo up, and took one last look at it, before setting it on fire with her wand. _I have to learn to let go _she thought, watching the angry red flames lick at the

photo. She turned away, unable to watch. A small knock at the door made her jump, and she hurriedly dowsed the flames with her wand, leaving only the charred remains of

what could only ever be a memory.

The door opened a foot or two, and her sister Narcissa's head poked the gap. Seeing Bella so distraught, she ran in to comfort her.

"Oh Bella, please don't cry! I know its horrid when the children go back to school, I always miss Draco terribly!" Bella pushed her away.

"It's not the same, Cissy. Draco isn't the child of the Dark Lord; he does not possess the powers that Lyra does. She might do something awful, she could destroy herself, Cissy!

Magical ability like hers needs to be carefully monitored- she's a danger to herself and all those around her!" Bella cried heartbrokenly. Narcissa sighed. There was little she could

do to help her sister, other than offer her words of comfort, but even she knew Bella was right. Lyra had powers that went off the scale, and they were fast becoming more and

more powerful than even the Dark Lord's.

"Have you tried speaking to him at all?" she suggested hopelessly.

Bella shook her head. "He's determined that Lyra should go to Hogwarts to keep an eye on our planted Death Eaters". Her eyes became tunnels, and she said "And we all know

what that means."


	5. Friend or Foe?

Lyra was pushing through the train, trying to find a seat. Draco had offered if she wanted to sit with him and his friends, but on account of Draco getting a little _too _friendly as of

late, she had declined. Only she was beginning to regret this now, on account that every compartment she passed was full. She finally reached the end of the train, where she

found a compartment that had only two people in it; a slightly gawky looking boy holding a toad, and a boy with jet black hair, glasses and **(A/N: Yep, you guessed it!)**, a

scar. Only Lyra did not notice the latter male, owing to the fact that he was sitting with his back to her. She gave an irritated sigh- why hadn't she accepted Draco's offer??? At

least she could guarantee that everyone there was pureblood…

"Can I sit with you?" she asked hesitantly, poking her head round the door. The boy with the toad jumped, causing said toad to jump onto the floor.

"Trevor!" the boy squealed, his cheeks reddening at the sight of Lyra. The boy with black hair turned round, and looked at Lyra. He smiled.

"Sure, our friends are in the prefects carria-" he broke off and groaned, clasping his forehead. Lyra was horrified to see a jagged scar in the middle of it.

"Y-y-you're him!" she stuttered in shock. "Harry Potter!"

Harry collapsed onto his seat, and waited for the pain to recede, wondering what had caused it. He looked at Lyra again, and his scar gave another throb, though not as extreme as the previous one.

"Yeah…that's me" he said wearily. How many times did people have to ask?

Lyra stared at him dumbfounded. She had spent her entire life listening to her mother vilify Potter's name, and in the past month that she had spent with her father, she had been

listening to plans involving killing him!!! It was hard to believe that he was actually sitting there now, in the flesh. "Are you new to Hogwarts?" he asked, noticing her lack of

house colours, "you haven't been sorted yet".

"I...uh...…no" she murmured softly, sliding into her seat in a daze. She noticed how green his eyes were…_just like emeralds! _She thought. _Oh god why did I have to think that? I want him DEAD!!_

Now Neville piped up, having found his toad.

"But you look too old to be in first year" he said in confusion. Lyra smiled slightly.

"I know, I'm being moved straight up to sixth year" she said, and waited for their shocked reactions, which came promptly enough.

"But you're too young for sixth year" said Harry. "I mean, you look around 13…"

"They say I'm too advanced for second year work" she said smugly. Personally she felt she was too advanced for sixth year work as well, but Dumbledore hadn't agreed…the fool.

"Wow" said Harry in surprise. "Listen, d'you have any money for the lunch trolley later? Because I could get you something"

"That would be lovely" Lyra replied, all the while admiring those two exquisite pools of green that gazed over at her…


	6. Mixed Emotions

Lyra was sitting in her seat, thoughtfully munching on a chocolate frog that Harry had bought her. She knew that she was being ridiculous, her mother would be furious with her

'fraternising with the enemy'. But contrary to what her relatives had said about Harry; "He's so arrogant!" – Draco "The boy beat me with a combination of luck and powerful

friends" – dearest Daddy;

The fact was, Harry was actually very kind. Oh, he was no pure blooded Death Eater like Draco, but still…apparently he was a _very _good seeker….

"Lyra?" Harry's voice broke into her thoughts. She jumped, blushing. _Thank god Father says he's a bad legilimist!_ She thought. She hated the thoughts she was having, but

she simply couldn't help herself! "You seemed far away" he said, grinning. Lyra's heart gave a lurch. _Such an adorable smile!_

"Oh, sorry! I was just thinking…"

"Are you homesick? I guess you must be missing your parents." He said tentatively. Lyra burst out laughing, much to Harry's dismay; how novel that he should mention her

parents!

"Hell no!" she cried "Truth be told, I couldn't wait to get away- mum was being so _clingy_, and Dad….well he was getting too morbid for my liking" she said, choking down her

giggles.

The sliding doors opened. A certain red haired boy and bushy haired girl sidled in. Lyra stopped laughing. She knew EXACTLY who they were. Particularly the girl.

_MUDBLOOD!!! Must…get…away…_

Her mother had said that mudbloods gave you a disgusting disease if they got too close.

"Hey Harry!" cried Hermione breathlessly; she had clearly ran back from the prefects carriage.

"Mate, you're not gonna _believe _what just happened!!!" Said Ron, who was equally out of breath.

"It was Malfoy!" said Hermione, now starting to laugh hysterically. She collapsed into the seat next to Lyra, who recoiled slightly at the prospect of being so close to a

mudblood. "He was prancing about-"

"No surprise there" Harry broke in.

"And THEN, " Hermione continued over him,

"He started kissing Parkinson, you know, what with them going out and all" continued Ron

"AND THEN" Hermione said, irritated with them butting in, "Seamus and Dean, who were waiting outside, did a tongue locking charm on them!!" She said, practically crying

with laughter.

"They ran out together with their faces glued to each other- Malfoy tripped over and took Parkinson with him!" chuckled Ron.

"Nice one! Wish I was there to see it.." said Harry wistfully.

"So are you going to introduce us to your new friend then?" said Ron, recovering from his laughing fit and gesturing to Lyra.

"Uhh, I gotta go, bye!" she said hurriedly, and bolted out of the compartment, so they couldn't see her tears.

Draco had a girlfriend.

And he hadn't told her.

She ran down the train, peeking in all the compartments as she went. Finally she found one with a group of Slytherins who seemed about Draco's age. She knocked on the door

instead of just going in, on account of the fact that Slytherins weren't exactly reputed for their friendliness. The blind was pulled up an inch, showing a dark brown eye.

"Who is it Blaise?" came a voice.

"Some random skinny dweeb of a girl- she's crying" said the owner of the eye.

"Well tell her to beat it, we're trying to sort these two out, they can't go into Hogwarts glued together!" the other voice replied.

Something in Lyra snapped. All the stress that had been building up over the past month welled up inside her.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAIIIIIIIIIIIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE" She

screamed at the top of her voice, fury and misery coursing through her veins. She ripped her wand from her jeans, and with a flourish, the door to the compartment blew open in

a cloud of purple-red flames.

"OH MY GOD, WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?????" came a shrill voice from inside. Pansy Parkinson stumbled out of the compartment, coughing and waving the

smoke away from her face. Apparently, she and Draco had come unstuck in the miniature combustion.

Lyra's eyes narrowed. Pansy Prudence Parkinson was dead meat.


	7. Sorted WHERE?

"Lyra, for the hundredth time, I'm _sorry_" whined Draco; but Lyra wasn't having any end it. As far as she was concerned, Draco had lied to her and that was the end of it. She

pushed him away, and walked over to where the first years were gathering before they were sorted. Draco attempted to wave goodbye to her before he went into the great

hall, but she stubbornly turned her head away from him.

"You're too big to be in first year" a little voice piped up in front of her. Lyra looked over to see a sniggering group of small girls ogling at her. "What happened to you, did you

get in the way of a growth charm or something?" said the girl who had spoken. She had neat shiny black hair that was twisted into a bun, and came up to Lyra's shoulder. Lyra

stared at her. She wasn't used to being spoken to with such blatant disrespect, and at first was rather shocked. But that emotion was soon overcome by a bitter wave of

hatred.

"Watch your mouth, filth" she whispered dangerously. The first years dissolved into a fit of giggles. Lyra's hand began to wander to her pocket where her wand was stowed,

something which miss shiny-black-hair was quick to notice.

"Oooh, going to curse us are you? My father says that you can't do magic out of lessons you know, I bet you'll be expelled!" she said, smirking.

"Yeah…well do you know what _my father _says?" her mouth curling.

But before she had time to answer, McGonagall opened the doors to the great hall.

"Welcome, newcomers! It is now time for you to be sorted, please wait until your name is called, and then sit down on the stool and put the hat on your head" she said briskly.

Lyra sighed, wishing her surname began with A so that she would be able to get it over and done with, but alas, she went under the name of Lestrange.

"_Lauren Arbuthnot." _The girl with black shiny hair. Slytherin.

"_Oliver Cadds." _Some random ginger boy. Hufflepuff.

"_Emma Ferguson" _Spotty brunette. Another Hufflepuff…..

Lyra yawned, and slid down the wall, oblivious to the fact that McGonagall was already sorting through the K surnames.

"_Lyra Lestrange."_

Lyra was jolted out of her trance. A small blonde girl nudged her into the great hall, where dozens of curious eyes were staring at her. The atmosphere of the hall was thick with

whispers, most of them in hostile tones. Lyra frowned, marginally irritated by this. But then, what should she have expected? Anyone with the same surname as a crazed killer

like her mother would receive this sort of reception. She held her head high, and sauntered over to the sorting hat. She picked it up and put it on, confident that she would be

placed in Slytherin, the most noble and proud house of her father, the place where purebloods reigned, home to the greatest parseltongue who ever-

"_GRYFFINDOR!" _screamed the hat.

A/N- Please REVIEW, or I won't bother updating anymore, all you have to do is click that blue button below...


	8. Plans

"GRYFFINDOR?"

The cry of fury reverberated through Death Eater HQ, the walls shuddering with his fury. Bella was huddled in the chamber, tears dripping down her face, her hands trembling

violently.

"M...my L...Lord" her voice tremored precariously.

The news of Lyra's sorting had just arrived. Her father had been so livid; several of the minor death eaters had lost their lives.

"What did you do to our daughter that made THIS happen?" he hissed furiously at her, pacing up the room, his hands shaking with rage. Bella shook her head and buried it in

her hands.

"I swear, my Lord, I know nothing of this" she said hopelessly.

Voldemort frowned, and sat down.

"I just don't understand it" he said softly, his face wearing a mystified expression. "She was a Slytherin, through and through. God damn it, she was even a Parselmouth!!" at the

final part, he drove his fist heavily onto the table, causing Bella to jump.

"But Potter is a Parselmouth, my Lord" she said hesitantly. He raised his eyes to look at her, his face an emotionless mask.

"Potter…" he whispered. A curious light sprang up in his eyes. "Yes…it could work…" he muttered to himself.

"What is it my Lord?" asked Bella. He turned to face her, a cruel cold smile on his lips.

"If our daughter were to befriend Potter, it would be all the more easy to get to him" he said. His tone sent a shiver down Bella's spine.

"It could work, I suppose" she said slowly; doubtfully. He sensed her doubt, and let out a glare at full force on her. She cowered away. "I mean, yes, it's a wonderful plan my

Lord, only would it put her in any danger at all?"

"Whether it does or not is irrelevant. She will sacrifice her life for the cause, if need be" he answered coldly.

Bella gasped, and shook her head vigorously, unable to articulate any form of speech. "Is there a problem Bella?" he asked, with false pleasantness.

"She's our _daughter_!" she choked out finally. "She cannot just be used as…as bait"

"Are you questioning my judgement?" he asked her softly.

Bella looked him straight in the eye.

"Yes" she replied, her legs trembling violently. She wouldn't compromise her daughter's life for anyone, not even her master.

"Ah my dear Bella" he said. She snapped her head up again, surprised at the note of amusement in his voice. He walked over to her, and stroked her cheek lightly. "Trust me…

our daughter is destined for more greatness than either of us…" he whispered.

"Lyra, will you please open the door, we need to get in" came Hermione's irritated voice from outside the dormitory door. A muffled scream could be heard of Lyra shrieking

into the pillow.

"GO AWAY MUDBLOOD" she hollered at the top of her voice.

Lyra was sprawled across one of the beds, fury bubbling in her blood. She had already busted the pillows, and feathers were lying all over the room in shocking disarray. She

conjured a green flame at the end of her finger, and was about to set her bed on fire, when another voice could be heard.

It was McGonagall's.

"Lyra, I have a letter for you"

A/N- Please review. I will not bother continuing without sufficient reviews.


	9. Clearing out rivals

Lyra finished reading the letter, her eyes scanning it quickly. She looked up at McGonagall and the others, her face betraying nothing.

"Just my mother making sure I've settled in ok" she said, smiling inwardly at the shocked expressions on the student's faces. "Bedtime" she said suddenly, beaming

angelically. McGonagall looked surprised, but asked no further questions, and left the dormitory. Hermione, Parvati and Ginny hovered uncertainly at the doorway. "Well,

aren't you going to introduce yourselves?" Lyra asked, looking from one to another. She knew who they already were of course; she exceeded even her father in

legilimency.

"Um, I'm Ginny, and this is Hermione and Parvati" said Ginny nervously, pointing at the other two girls.

"Why are you just standing there? Come in!" said Lyra. Her voice had changed into a lilting and sweet tone. It would be best to lull them into a false sense of security if her

father's new plan was going to work. The three others stepped gingerly into the dorm.

"I'll go brush my teeth" said Parvati hurriedly.

"Me too" said Ginny quickly, following Parvati into the bathroom. Hermione looked after them helplessly, before looking back to Lyra reluctantly. The latter was sprawled

comfortably on her bed.

"Do you have pillow fights at all?" asked Lyra casually. She made to mistake of giving a rather too-wide smile, and Hermione recoiled slightly. Lyra bit her lip. She was going

to have to learn some proper etiquette if this was going to work. "And midnight feasts and stuff?" she continued, trying not to smile too insanely. It was a dreadful habit she'd

picked up from her mother; good for taunting the victims you torture, but definitely not good for making friends with.

"We do quite often" confessed Hermione, starting to relax in Lyra's presence now, but not letting her guard down completely.

"Cool! I've never actually had a sleepover before, actually" confessed Lyra, smiling. "Not unless you count one with dementors".

Hermione's eyes widened. "Dementors?" she whispered.

"I lived in Azkaban with my mother up until a few weeks ago" Lyra explained, hugging herself inwardly and eagerly anticipating Hermione's reaction.

"What?! Why?" Hermione asked, her mouth formed into the perfect 'O'.

"My mother, Bellatrix, gave birth to me in there" said Lyra "and I refused to leave her"

"Oh god" whispered Hermione "you must have gone mad in there. Those dementors…I get freaked out by them even when I'm with them for a few seconds, let alone

_years. _Weren't you afraid?"

Lyra let out a cold, detached laugh. "Believe me, I've seen far worse evils than dementors" she said, her eyes darkening. Hermione shuddered.

"Like what?" she asked, wondering if she even wanted to know the answer.

"You wouldn't understand" Lyra said with a sigh, lying back on the bed and shutting her eyes. Parvati and Ginny poked their heads out of the bathroom, toothbrushes

clutched as though in defence. "I don't bite, you know" said Lyra, without opening her eyes. Parvati and Ginny exchanged nervous looks, before coming into the room.

"You're Ronald Weasley's sister, aren't you" said Lyra, pointing abruptly at Ginny. Ginny jumped, and nodded fearfully.

"Why do you want to know?" she asked uneasily.

"No reason. And he's friends with Potter, am I right?" Lyra continued.

"Yes…so is Hermione. We all are, really" said Ginny.

"Ah, so he's rather popular with the girls then?"

"No, just friends" said Ginny, who was starting to look very unnerved by this point.

"But you like him, don't you?" persisted Lyra. Ginny's ears turned red.

"I don't know what you're talking about. Goodnight" she said shortly, getting into her bed and yanking the curtains around the bed tightly shut.

_Well you won't for much longer, _Lyra thought, with a grim smile.


	10. Plans and Pumpkin Juice

**A/N: Sorry for the slow update. I have no excuses; I'm just a very lazy person.**

Lyra went down to breakfast the next morning with a thousand faces staring at her. The Gryffindor table was already packed, owing to the fact that Lyra had got up

late. She scanned the bench for a place to sit. The only place was right at the very end, next to a gawky looking first year with a runny nose and glasses. She grimaced,

and went to sit down in the spot. He saw who she was, and immediately recoiled. Lyra stared at him with deliberate ferocity and he shrank away from her so that she

had more room.

Glancing over to the Slytherin table she could see Draco. She realised with an irritated jolt that he was talking to Pansy, who was tossing her hair repeatedly. Lyra

rolled her eyes at this behavior, and clicked her fingers under the table. The goblet of pumpkin juice that sat next to Pansy's elbow hovered up into the air and

upturned its contents on its owner. Pansy cried out in dismay, and shook her sopping wet hair in Draco's face, causing him to wrinkle his nose and move away from her.

Lyra gave a small, smug smile at this, and began ladling her plate with breakfast; a slice of slightly burnt toast and some orange juice.

She overheard some nearby Gryffindors talking about Quidditch tryouts, and subtly leant closer to catch snippets of what they were saying.

"Harry's captain this year..."

"...school brooms are rubbish!..."

Lyra sat up with a jolt, realising what a golden opportunity it would be if she got on the Quidditch team. Plus it would be fun to play against Draco; he was so arrogant

about his talent and would do him some good if he was beaten.

"Excuse me, when are the Quidditch tryouts being held?" she asked the boys who had been talking about it. They exchanged nervous looks.

"The Captain scheduled them for this evening" said one of them uncertainly. "You should get your own broom though; the school ones are rubbish".

"Right" murmured Lyra, sinking back down into her own thoughts. Her mind whirred, clicking various ideas and plans about, making space for the new one that was

beginning to form in her head. This was it. The situation was perfect; it was now or never- fate might not grant her another chance.

She stared up into the rafters of the hall as a torrent of owls began to descend. A large black one swooped about; her father's. She sat up, eying it alertly, as it landed

elegantly before her. She stroked the silky black feathers, feeling everyone's eyes on her again. And one pair in particular. She looked up at Harry, and carefully

calculated a small smile on her lips; nothing too much, but interesting enough to make him wonder. And oh, would he be interested at the end of the Quidditch trials

this afternoon…


	11. Supplanting Seekers

"Can I borrow you broom, Draco

"Can I borrow you broom, Draco?"

Draco's back tensed. He knew far better than to trust his cousin when she used that syrupy tone.

"What for?" he asked warily.

"Same reason as always" answered Lyra from behind the dormitory door. Draco frowned. If she was just going out to play a quick game of Quidditch, she wouldn't be

bothering with that suck-up tone. A loud crack resonating beside him made him jump. Lyra appeared beside him, her pale face flushed and grinning manically.

"Y-you just-" Draco stammered.

"Apparated. Yes, I know" replied Lyra, the ghost of smugness barely detectable in her answering smile.

"But that's impossible in Hogwarts" said Draco, dumbfounded.

"I know" said Lyra, grinning even wider.

"Dumbledore put those restrictions in place"

"I know"

Draco shook his head, quite dazed. His cousin was one in a million.

CRACK

"Lyra?" yelped Draco, spinning in a full circle. She had vanished. He immediately guessed what had happened. He ducked under his bed. Grimly unsurprised, he saw

that his broom was gone.

NEW SCENE (Because ff doesn't seem to let me put stars in...)

"Everything's in place Harry?"

"Yes Neville. Quit fretting" answered Harry, running an agitated hand through his hair. It had been getting a little too long for his liking lately- barely noticeable, but it

caused serious wind resistance when diving for the snitch.

"Uh oh. Guess who" growled Fred, his knuckle whitening convulsively around his Comet 260.

Harry looked over his shoulder, and an involuntary shiver rattled his lungs. Voldemort's eyes stared back at him, but they were set in the face of a young female. It

was highly disconcerting.

"Uh…hey Lyra. You've come for the Quidditch try-outs?" he said warily. Lyra smiled sidelong at him, twirling Draco's stolen broom in her hand.

"Naturally" she answered calmly. Harry winced at how similar her voice was to her mother's. Lyra looked up at some of the first years who were practicing before the

try-outs. The smallest boy at the back abruptly fell off, tumbling eight feet to the ground. His nose dribbled crimson as he was taken over by a particularly violent

nosebleed. Lyra raised an eyebrow at Harry's questioning stare. George went to take the small boy to the hospital wing.

"Beating up your prospective team mates doesn't earn you brownie points" Harry muttered icily, walking away.

"I'd be nice if I were you" said Lyra coyly, her voice dripping with a nasty, faux pleasantness. "If you want to stay the Gryffindor seeker"

"What's that supposed to mean?" asked Harry hotly.

"Oh, only that there might be someone better than you" smirked Lyra, lounging lazily back on the bench. Harry bristled, and opened his mouth to speak.

"Oh, I wouldn't if I were you…" murmured Lyra softly, her eyes locked with his. She flashed her forearm, the Dark Mark coiling to and fro. A reminder.


End file.
